A Socratic Story

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance
met the great philosopher and said,
A: “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”
S: “Hold on a minute,”
S: “Before telling me anything, I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called The Triple Filter Test.”
A: “Triple Filter?”
S: “That’s right”
S: “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re
going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure
that what you are about to tell me is true?”
A: “No, Actually I just heard about it and…”
S: “Alright… So you don’t really know if it is true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of
goodness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend something good?”
A: “No, on the contrary…”
S: “So… You want to tell me something bad about Him, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass
the test though, because there’s one filter left, the filter of usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about
my friend going to be useful to me?”
A: “No, not really.”
S: “Well, if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”
_________________________________________________________________________________

PHILOSOPHY:
- The rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics.
- Any personal belief about how to live or how to deal with a situation.
Miletus – Birthplace of Philosophy
The term “Philosophy” was coined by Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher.
3 types of man = 1.) Lover of Pleasure 2. ) Lover of Success 3.) Lover of Wisdom
Greek = Philia = Love and Sophia = Wisdom = literally means “Love of Wisdom”

Wisdom: The trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight.

Philosophy in its real definition is the science of all things by their first causes as known in light of
reason.

a. PHILOSOPHY AS A SCIENCE
Science: latin verb “scire” = to know/ knowledge
Scientific knowledge = knowledge of causes of things = Knowledge of causes.

Fact = Knowledge Reasons for the fact = Scientific Knowledge

A person who knows the causes of things = Certitude: is a natural result of knowing not only the facts but
also their causes.
Scientific knowledge = knowledge of causes = certain

In this regard, we can say the philosophy is a science because it seeks to acquire the knowledge of the
causes of things. It does not rest on opinion or belief but pursues the causes of things.
 -Branches of Philosophy-

Metaphysics: Greek words μετά (metá, "beyond", "upon" or "after") and φυσικά (physiká,
"physics"). is the study of reality (being of beings). Some of the questions that metaphysics
deals with are:
a. What is the ultimate reality?
b. Is reality one or many different things?
c. Can reality be grasped by the senses or is it transcendent?
d. What is a substance?
e. What are accidents?
Epistemology: from Greek epistēmē, meaning "knowledge", and λόγος, logos, meaning "word") is
the study of the validity of human knowledge. Among the questions that questions that
Epistemology deals with are:
a. What is knowledge?
b. Is knowledge acquired exclusively through the senses or by some other mean?
c. How do we know that what we perceive through our senses is correct?
Ethics: The term ethics derives from the Ancient Greek word ἠθικός ethikos, which is derived from
the word ἦθοςethos (habit, "custom"). is the study of the morality of human act. Some of the
questions treated by the field of ethics are:
a. What is morally right?
b. Are there any objective standards of right and wrong?
c. Are moral values absolute or relative?
Logic: is the study of correct reasoning. Logic is the basic tool that philosophers use to
investigate reality. Among the questions raised by Logic are:
a. What makes an argument valid or invalid?
b. What is a sound argument?
c. What is the difference between truth and validity?
Cosmology: (from the Greek κόσμος, kosmos "world" and -λογία, -logia "study of"), is the science
of the universe. Its questions are:
a. What are space and time?
b. How is the world related to human beings?
c. Is the world created or has it existed from all eternity?
Theodicy: Greek words Θεός Τheos and δίκη dikē. Theos is translated "God" and dikē can be
translated as either "trial" or "judgement".[ is a philosophical study of God. Questions are:
a. Does God exist?
b. What are the proofs for God’s existence?
c. What is the problem of evil?
d. How do we reconcile the existence of a benevolent God and the unmerited misery in
the world?
VALUE OF DOING PHILOSOPHY
What is the relevance of Philosophy today?

Philosophy aids as a framework for all knowledge, and its study is invaluable for acquiring the
skill of critical thinking that is the mark of a well-educated person.
- It also serves as a tool for integrating knowledge.
- Some students find Philosophy as simply irrelevant and elitist. I WILL PROVE THAT IT
IS NEITHER.

PHILOSOPHY refers to the study of things that are themselves higher. – Higher in the order of
abstraction – higher in that the plane thought and of action on which the examined life is lived.
It is PHILOSOPHY that pulls us up out if the distractions of the moment and allows us to see
further, to see more clearly where we’ve been, what we’ve done, who we are, who we might
become.
PHILOSOPHY exposes us to all forms of trickery; idle talk as the disguise for teaching; rote
learning as the disguise of thought; mere opinion as the disguise for judgment; emotion as the
disguise for principle. All these make PHILOSOPHY relevant.
If you say that PHILOSOPHY talks about great mind and great ideas, then it is elitist. But aren’t
we supposed to be not contented with stupid ideas and tiny minds?

Let us all seek wisdom! Wisdom comes from mistakes, from growth and from a life dedicated to
learning. Remain youthful! Only young people dream. Old people are tired of dreaming. Dream
big! Experiment! Make mistakes! Kids are afraid to be wrong because their parents protect them
so much from making mistakes. Be prepared to be wrong. Let us not stigmatize mistakes. If we
don’t allow ourselves to make mistakes, we cannot me original. Enjoy your youth. You are our
future leaders.

Method of Philosophizing

Philosophy accomplishes knowledge of the world by means of human reason. This human
reason is the method used by philosophy in inquiring about the nature of things. Her
counterpart, theology treats God and the world on the basis of a supernatural revelation. Even
though Philosophy is a product of reason, it is not a creature of dangerous rationalism, for
reason itself is an integral part of man’s makeup. Reason is the method of thinking in an
organized, clear way to achieve knowledge and understanding.

Object and Goal of Philosophy

The object and goal of philosophy becomes clearer when it is compared with other sciences.
Like them, philosophy is knowledge of the cause of things, but in every special way. For all
other sciences are particular science because they concern themselves with just a part of reality
and tool for the causes operative within the one restricted area of the real. Philosophy however,
is a universal science because it considers the totality of reality and investigates the basic
cause of all beings. The aim of philosophy is not this truth or that truth, my truth or your truth,
but the “the Truth.”
The truth the philosophy searches for is a truth that applies to all people at all times. This truth
has been referred to as transcendent truth.
 EXERCISES
Name: Date:

Answer the following questions:

1. Give the literal and real definition of philosophy. Explain the important terms used on
the definition.
2. If philosophy literally means love of wisdom, what does philosopher literally mean?
Can a philosopher be wise?
3. Can philosophy, as a science, attain certitude? Why or why not?
4.”Philosophy is the science of all things.” Explain this line.
5. Differentiate theology (Revealed Theology) from Theodicy (Natural Theology).
6. Enumerate and define the different branches of philosophy and their objects of study.
7. What is the value of doing philosophy?
8. What is the object and goal of philosophy?